We’re happy to share a recent industry conversation around The Pearl Comb, following the film’s wonderful festival journey and its shortlisting for the 98th Academy Awards® in the Live Action Short Film category.
The Q&A brought together Dasha Sherman, our co-founder and VFX Producer on the film, Ali Cook, writer and director of The Pearl Comb, and Paul Franklin, Academy Award–winning VFX Supervisor.
Now available on YouTube.
The talk reflects on how the film came together and the collaboration behind it.
Learn how the story began and how important atmosphere was in shaping the film’s tone. A big part of the conversation focused on using visual effects to serve the story — supporting the emotion and the world, rather than drawing attention to themselves — and finding the right balance between realism and folklore.
Collaboration was at the heart of it all. Working side by side, with the director (Ali Cook), Koala team helped ensure everything felt grounded, authentic, and fully part of the same world.
The Academy Awards® shortlisting is a meaningful milestone for the whole team and a moment we’re genuinely proud of. We’re especially proud of Dasha’s guidance on the film and grateful to have been part of bringing The Pearl Comb to life.
